Gary
K-12 School in Chicago, IL · 3740 W 31st St · 60623
At a glance
Gary is a 132,193-square-foot K-12 school at 3740 W 31st St in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1911. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 36 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 75.1 kBtu/ft² and 826 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 40% of the 365 scored K-12 school buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 36 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 75.1 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 124.4 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 826 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.2 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,007,348 kWh |
| Natural gas | 64,964 therms |
| Gross floor area | 132,193 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:251651:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 36 | -1 | 75.1 kBtu/ft² | 826 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 37 | -15 | 84.9 kBtu/ft² | 886 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 52 | +1 | 69.6 kBtu/ft² | 766 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 51 | 70.8 kBtu/ft² | 801 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | — | — | |
| 2018 | 50 | +11 | 62.8 kBtu/ft² | 921 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 39 | -8 | 74.9 kBtu/ft² | 1,004 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 47 | +8 | 69.9 kBtu/ft² | 943 tCO₂e |
| 2015 | 39 | 76.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,060 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
Own or manage this building? Claim it to correct the record and get compliance alerts.
Location
- Address
- 3740 W 31st St
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60623
- Coordinates
- 41.88085, -87.62804
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Gary compare with other K-12 school buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 543 K-12 school buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Gary's ENERGY STAR score of 36 compares with an average of 45 across the 365 that report a score; it scores higher than 40% of them and lower than 59%. Its site EUI of 75.1 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 72.7 kBtu/ft². Its emissions intensity of 6.2 kgCO₂e/ft² is roughly in line with the group average of 6.2 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 132,193 sq ft, it is roughly in line with the average floor area of 121,824 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1911, 32 years earlier than the group's average year built (1943). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 6,548 K-12 school buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 64 and a site EUI of 52.7 kBtu/ft².
How has Gary's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for Gary, covering report years 2015–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 39 in 2015 to 36 in 2023 (-3 points); its best year on file was 2021, at 52. Site EUI moved from 76.0 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 75.1 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 1% decrease. Reported emissions went from 1,060 tCO₂e to 826 tCO₂e over the same span (down 22%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 36 mean?
ENERGY STAR scores run from 1 to 100 and are computed by the EPA's Portfolio Manager as a percentile against similar buildings nationwide, adjusted for climate, size and use: a score of 36 means the building performs better than about 36% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 36 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 39 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. In Chicago, 35% of scored buildings are at 75 or above.
Site energy-use intensity (EUI) is the energy a building uses on site in a year divided by its floor area, in thousand Btu per square foot — lower is more efficient. Gary's 75.1 kBtu/ft² across 132,193 sq ft works out to about 9.9 billion Btu (2,910 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 124.4 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,007,348 kWh of electricity and 64,964 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Gary to report its energy use?
Gary reports under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance, the legal basis of the Chicago Energy Benchmarking program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2023 disclosure (source record chicago:251651:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More K-12 school buildings in Chicago
- Earl Shapiro Hall· 130,848 sq ft · score 17 (D)
- Nixon· 130,113 sq ft · score 40 (D)
- Gray· 129,990 sq ft · score 24 (D)
- Pershing· 128,716 sq ft · score 46 (D)
- McKay· 128,128 sq ft · score 15 (D)
- Talcott· 127,371 sq ft · score 47 (D)
- K-12 School buildings in Chicago· 543 benchmarked
- All Chicago benchmarked buildings· Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
- Most efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Least efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Biggest emitters in Chicago
Frequently asked questions
What is Gary's energy grade?
Gary scores 36 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Gary use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 75.1 kBtu/ft² (124.4 kBtu/ft² source) across 132,193 sq ft, including 1,007,348 kWh of electricity and 64,964 therms of natural gas.
What are Gary's carbon emissions?
Gary reported 826 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.2 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Gary?
Gary is at 3740 W 31st St, in Chicago, Illinois 60623. Its coordinates are 41.88085, -87.62804 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Gary and when was it built?
Gary has 132,193 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1911 as its year built. It is classed as K-12 school.
Is Gary covered by the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance?
Yes — it appears in the 2023 Chicago Energy Benchmarking disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance.
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About this data
Source: Chicago Energy Benchmarking (Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “Gary, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/gary-2adfb82e (data as of October 2, 2026).